Hoping someone in early childhood education or anyone who’s been here might have some advice.

My kid is 4 years old and he just doesn’t behave well hardly ever. But especially at daycare. He’s been discharged from 1 school earlier this year. I was able to find another school fairly quickly and he’s been suspended more times than I can count. Most recently he was suspended this week for 3 days. They have threatened discharge at this school too. He does things like hit other kids, he’s aggressive, and does not follow directions consistently. I’ve had him tested through our local school district but won’t have the results for another 2 weeks. I believe the results are going to come back that he is fine just very energetic. The school pyschologist just said he seems friendly, playful and sometimes just doesn’t know how to turn it down or off. Does anyone know what else can be done? Like are there specialized daycares? I’m asking because clearly he’s too much for the regular daycares.

I praise him, give him treats or a small toy as a reward when he has a good day but it’s so rare he has a Green Day at school. I’m so lost.

Try consulting with his pediatrician after you get the results or even right now. Oftentimes clinics can be supportive... they have liaisons, social workers and other staff that can help you. Depending on what test he's receiving from the district but it might be a good idea to ask the doctor if there's any other test that can be conducted to get to the root of the problem. A behavioral or special daycare is typically a last resort if all else fails. When looking for a childcare you should interview and see how they handle discipline, maybe the child cares you come across are just not a fit.

My son just turned 5 and is in preschool. He had some trouble the beginning of school. It was concerning and my husband and I were worried that he’d get kicked out.. I got a referral from my doctor to get him evaluated for ADHD and autism. He has his appointment next month (November) to see the behavioral psychologist. My sister recommended to go down that route to get him tested (whether or not he has ADHD and/or autism or both), he’ll get an IEP and it’ll follow him throughout his school year. My oldest sister, oldest son is on the spectrum. It’s challenging to find school to accept him.

Find a preschool. You need a place with trained teachers.

I was a kindergarten teacher and I agree with Julia! You should look into preschool instead of daycares if possible. Often time daycare teachers are not actually trained or prepared for these things. For a kid like this, you need a trained teacher. Talk to the pediatrician. Schools can’t diagnose. They just determine if a kid is eligible for special education services under certain qualifications. So your pediatrician is going to be helpful in this. It’s also easier to get an IeP and and school services if they have an actual diagnosis. Ultimately though, unless they suspect autism or something like that, they are not going to give an ADHD or ADD diagnosis that young. At least not that I’ve seen.

I’ve talked to his pediatrician many times and she just keeps saying he can’t be diagnosed this young. Meanwhile, I’m running out of options for childcare. He saw a behavioral therapist as well and had many sessions with her, no change to his behavior. But I do think I’ll look into preschools, it never really crossed my mind that the 2 maybe different. Appreciate you ladies 🫶🏽

my husband is currently doing childhood development / education and psychology as a side quest so i’ll ask him for you if you don’t mind me sharing this with him!

@quiddo of course! I need all the help I can get at this point.